Military Science

• The use of commercial drones is growing at a faster rate than military use, with a compound annual growth rate of 19% between 2015 and 2020, compared with 5% growth on the military side, and could add an estimated 100,000 jobs to the US economy by 2025.
• All indications are that, in the long term, China will dwarf Russian military power and present the greatest threat to US interests and national security.
• The White House is reviewing military plans that could result in sending 120,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East if Iran attacks American forces or steps up work on nuclear weapons.
• If China can gain an edge in artificial intelligence research, as many experts believe it can, it will hold the whip hand over the next-generation tools that will be necessary for America's national economic growth, as well as for its military and national security.
• The US could turn up pressure on Iran in 2019, raising the possibility of military confrontation, which could be catastrophic for the global economy through the disruption of oil supplies.
• The IRGC will undoubtedly exploit its military prowess to challenge the moderate diplomatic track of President Hassan Rouhani and his administration.
• The Defense Department will provide $250 million in military aid that will include training for Ukrainian forces and equipment for Ukraine's navy, which has struggled to counter Russia in the increasingly tense Black Sea area.
• From about 2023, the JCPOA allows Iran to acquire advanced military capabilities: A mere three and a half years from now, Russia and China could be pounding on the doors of Iran's defence ministry offering the latest capabilities at highly competitive prices.
• The Pentagon's plans to develop weapons and strategies to penetrate Russian or Chinese complex defense networks are a waste of time and could lead to the defeat of U.S. military forces on the future battlefield.
• If there is ever such a land-grab operation against one of the Baltic States, it is feared, Russia could use its military might and geographic position to create a no-go zone and keep NATO reinforcements from reaching the annexed territory in time by cordoning off the theater of operations.
• While Iran is eager to develop a political relationship with an important energy client like Japan and will keep back channels open to avoid military conflict with the United States, Tehran still sees little point in engaging with the current White House under maximum pressure terms.
• As the Trump administration threatens to go to war with Iran and imposes tariffs on China in an escalating trade war, Washington is increasingly colliding with the commercial and military ambitions of the EU powers, led by Germany.
• Europe might spend $110 billion on naval forces and $357 billion on land forces in a massive military build-up if Washington withdraws from the NATO alliance.
• U.S. fears about losing European defence contracts are unfounded, Brussels told Washington on Thursday after the Pentagon demanded the European Union curtail a new military pact that it sees as a potential threat to NATO.
• Nations around the world are expected to continue adding drones to their military arsenals, driving up annual global spending for military drones.
• NATO countries appear to be focusing on increasing defense budgets to counter potential threats from Russia and the Middle East.
• There's now an intensifying strategic competition between Washington and Beijing - some call it a new cold war - that will last decades, and could easily flare into direct military confrontation.
• By the early 2020s, China's military power in Asia will rival that of the United States, although the U.S. military will retain considerable global advantages.
• A resurgence of global military spending will continue to fuel M&A activity, with the U.S.'s national defense spending alone earmarking US$750 billion for fiscal year 2020, up from US$582.7 billion for 2017.
• The Pentagon is expected to ramp up its investment in unmanned aerial vehicles in the coming years as new capabilities come online and the U.S. military prepares for high-end fights against advanced adversaries.
• With strategic competition in Southern Asia expected to intensify further in the coming years, economic growth, balancing coalitions, and military modernization may prove to be more rewarding sources of security than nuclear weapons.
• The civil and military drones manufacturing market segment will grow at an annual rate of more than 16% to 2021, the highest of all segments of the aircraft manufacturing industry.

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Last updated: 20 July 2019